top of page
JDK-Logo-Drop.png

JUMP TO:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Blue%20stripes%20on%20white_edited.png
JDK-EMB-4.png

- BIOGRAPHY -

London based non-binary gay Irish actor & singer/songwriter JD Kelleher has today released their version of the classic Judy Garland song ‘OVER THE RAINBOW’ to mark 30 years since homosexuality was decriminalised in Ireland in June 1994 - https://li.sten.to/jdkrainbow

 

JD has reunited with Spanish musicians, Jimmy Pinol, David Ibarz and Marti Rieira, along with new band member Alex Badia. together they topped the Irish iTunes rock chart during the Marriage Equality referendum in May 2015 with their debut single & video of Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart - https://youtu.be/5UHbl370K9c. This was followed by Imagery in 2016 https://youtu.be/GJOjJQ0FjkI which also entered the Irish Top 30 songs. Both are from JD’s debut EP The Ugly Tree (2017)

 

Over the Rainbow is the first single to be released from JD’s forthcoming 2024 debut album, Now Is Our Time

 

"All of the originals are co-written by me and my producer / drummer Jimmy. I'm the lyrics guy. Jimmy is the melody guy but we both very involved in the production & sound of the album. It’s good vibes all the way. Singing Judy's iconic classic song is a dream come true and of course, that is exactly what happens Over the Rainbow. It’s the place where dreams come true. Our personal dreams, the dreams of our communities...the dreams of our World.  It is a song about wishes & dreams becoming reality. The video is all about colour, art and imagination. Make a wish and then go check it out on my YouTube! https://youtu.be/W1BkOHCnzBs" – JD

 

‘Over the Rainbow’ was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song and becoming her signature tune.

 

“Like every child who’s seen it, I was enchanted and mesmerised by the film but The Wizard of Oz was also my first experience of theatre when I was taken to the Cork Opera House Panto as a child. It ignited a passion and love in me for the performing arts, singing and music. As an LGBT adult, the song continues to resonate for the queer classic that it is. Over the Rainbow is coming out of the closet to shine beautifully without being condoned for who you are.” – JD

 

JD has performed as an actor in most of Ireland’s theatres. He moved to London in 1992 when he landed a role on the West End stage in Same Old Moon. Since then, he has worked at the Royal National Theatre, The RSC and in many of the regional UK theatres. He has done television in both Ireland and England. Most recently he was in Amy Huberman’s hit Irish comedy Finding Joy. These days, JD also runs one of London’s largest acting agencies, specialising in immigrant talent, International Actors London.

 

“Music is my first love but I love acting too and it turns out I very much enjoy empowering and helping to enable the dreams of other migrant artists by sharing my experience, strength and hope with them through our talent agency.” - JD

 

Make a wish upon a star! Over The Rainbow is now on all platforms - https://li.sten.to/jdkrainbow

JDK-EMB-4.png

- PAST RELEASES -

Over The Rainbow

2023 - July

Give Me Light

2021 - January

Jump

2020 - February

Redeem

2018 - August

Blitzkrieg Bop

2016 - August

Love Will Tear Us Apart

2015 - April

Too Much

2021 - October

Put Your Lights On

2020 - April

Somebody / Nobody

2018 - December

Avenge The Maybes

2016 - November

Imagery

2016 - March

The Ugly Tree

2017 - EP

JDK-EMB-4.png

- PRESS -

“The Ugly Tree is soaked in classic rock swagger and defiance, Kelleher draws upon his rage, humour and character to deliver a truly powerful performance that strikes a unique chord with his audience” - PressParty.com

“Avenge the Maybes is powerful and rousingly anthemic” - JoyOfViolentMovement.com

"The new video delivers a cinematic and encapsulating choreography of dance, reflection and light, filmed on the idyllic beaches of Fanore, County Clare" - GigSoupMusic.com

"The song is a free expression of love and desire between two men. In that sense it's a love song. As a gay man and a gay artists, of course it means the world to me to be able to do that... I don't hear nearly enough of that on the radio... but all that aside, I love the song. Pop music has always been a huge part of my life, and lockdowns have reconnected me with that passion" - JD Kelleher via TrueStyleMusic.com

JDK-EMB-4.png

- PAST DATES -

2018:
April 12 - The Dublin Castle, London, UK
March 31 - The Gunners, London, UK
February 23 - The Water Rats, London, UK
February 2 - Nambucca, London, UK w/ Camden Rocks

2017:
December 20 - The Dublin Castle, London, UK
November 24 - The Water Rats, London, UK
October 7 - The Dublin Castle, London, UK
August 4 - The Dublin Castle, London, UK
June 25 - The Garage, London, UK
February 11 - The Dublin Castle, London, UK

Discography
Biography
Press
Past Dates
bottom of page